3. Demonstration that only a very small proportion of ferromanganese 

 nodules encountered on the seafloor continues downward into the under- 

 lying sediments. 



Growing Global Interest and Capability 



As the decade of the 1970's begins, intensifying worldwide interest in 

 marine mineral resources and the availability of an increasingly sophisti- 

 cated mining technology are converging to generate new and unique oppor- 

 tunities and challenges at both the national and international levels. While 

 the United States leads the way in harvesting minerals from the oceans and 

 in developing offshore mining technology, virtually every maritime nation 

 and advanced coastal State is conducting marine minerals programs. Japan, 

 the Soviet Union, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, and Canada 

 have all announced long-range plans or significant new discoveries. 



A 65-foot electric submersible dredge, capable of working at 100-foot depths up to 

 three-quarters of a mile offshore, is inspected prior to operation. As the dredge 

 crawls along on tanklike tracks, a 12-inch cutter head on the end of the boom 

 agitates the sand which is then sucked up along with water and discharged on the 

 beach through 12-inch pipes at a rate of 9,000 gallons per minute. Two operators ride 

 inside a pressurized compartment supplied with air and electricity through an 

 umbilical cord from shore. The dredge is owned by Ocean Science and Engineering, 

 Inc. 



The rising interest in marine minerals is in large part attributable to 

 knowledge that rich resources, protected for centuries by the vagaries and 

 depths of the oceans, are becoming accessible as new technologies extend 

 man's reach. The Deep Sea Drilling Project, Project Tektite, the voyage of 



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